The Every Day Book of History and Chronology. Joel Munsell
is attributed the introduction of the potatoe into Europe. The day of his death is differently stated.
1621. The Plymouth colonists commenced the erection of their projected town, which they built in two rows of houses for greater security. The same street still exists, leading to the water side.
1658. Birthday of Nicholas Couston, a famous French sculptor, from whose labors the art of statuary received a noble impulse. He died at Paris 1733.
1757. Bernard le Bovier de Fontenelle, a French author of great repute, died. He was born at Rouen 1657; his mother was the sister of Corneille. Although his works are now obsolete in consequence of the advancement of science, no learned man exerted a more decided influence on the age in which he lived than Fontenelle.
1766. Thomas Birch, an English historian and biographer, died. He was of quaker parentage, and by unwearied industry educated himself. His literary labors were prodigious, which early rising and a strict economy of time enabled him to perform. He bequeathed his library to the British museum; it contained an incredible number of MSS. in his own handwriting.
1770. Catharine Talbot, authoress of Reflections on the Seven Days of the Week, and a contributor to the Rambler, died.
1779. John Reinhold Foster, author of Northern Voyages, and who circumnavigated the globe with Cook, died in his 70th year.
1788. Connecticut, the fifth state which adopted the constitution of the United States without amendments.
1792. Treaty of peace signed at Jassy between Russia and Turkey.
1793. Mr. Blanchard, the French æronaut, made the first balloon ascension in the United States, at Philadelphia, in the presence of General Washington.
1795. Thiel in Holland taken by the French under Macdonald.
1799. The habeas corpus act suspended in Great Britain.
1805. Noble Wimberly Jones, a revolutionary character, died. He came to America under Gen. Oglethorpe, and at the breaking out of the war was a practicing physician in Savannah. He was elected to the Georgia legislature a number of years and then resumed his practice again, at the solicitation of many of his former patients.
1809. Congress passed laws to enforce the embargo.
1810. The Diocesan court of the officiality of Paris pronounced a nullity of marriage between Bonaparte and Josephine.
1811. The Spanish cortes published a manifesto declaring their determination not to enter into a treaty with Bonaparte until his troops should have entirely evacuated the Peninsula.
1811. The whole militia of New Orleans ordered into immediate service by Gov. Claiborne to suppress a negro insurrection.
1812. Valentia in Spain surrendered to the French under Suchet, with 374 cannons, 18000 troops and stores of all kinds.
1813. British manifesto against the United States.
1815. Truce between Gen. Jackson and Gen. Lambert to bury the dead of the battle of the previous day.
1815. The British began the bombardment of the American fort St. Philip, defended by Major Overton, which was kept up daily until the 17th.
1816. A society instituted at Trenton, N. J., for forming a colony of blacks.
1818. Old John died. During eighty years, from the premiership of Walpole to that of Liverpool, he acted as messenger in the Royal printing office, London. He styled himself King's messenger.
1827. Elizabeth Ogilvy Benger, an English authoress, died. In her 13th year she wrote a poem, and afterwards attempted the drama. Her reputation is based upon her Historical Biographies, which were originally published in 10 vols.
1828. Francis de Neufchateau, a French statesman, died. He was born 1750, and in his 13th year published a volume of poems, which indicated more for the future than was realized. He took part in the affairs of the revolution, but was condemned for his moderation. Napoleon took him into favor; his pursuits were chiefly literary, however.
1843. Great fire at Port-au-Prince; 600 houses burnt and property to an immense amount destroyed. The blacks who inhabited the mountains rushed down and completed the work of destruction, by firing and plundering such houses as the fire had not reached, and committing every sort of excess.
1854. The Astor library in New York opened to the public.
JANUARY 10.
1640. Maurice Abbot, a distinguished London merchant, died. He acquired great consequence by his own efforts in commercial affairs, and was employed in 1624 in establishing the settlement of Virginia. At the time of his death he was mayor of London.
1645. William Laud, archbishop of Canterbury, beheaded on Tower hill, aged 70. Sentenced to be hung for political misdemeanors, he was pardoned by the king; but parliament overruled the pardon, and substituted the privilege of being beheaded instead of hanging. He acquired so great an ascendency over Charles as to lead him, by the facility of his temper, into a conduct which proved fatal to that prince, and by which he lost his kingdom, and met the same fate four years after at Whitehall.
1661. A proclamation issued by the king of England prohibiting conventicles for religious meetings.
1661. The fifth monarchy men, headed by Venner, a wine cooper, arose to proclaim "King Jesus against all the powers of the earth." But King Charles's power was found too strong for them.
1754. Edward Cave died, an English printer and founder of the Gentleman's Magazine. When his indentures expired as a printer's apprentice, he was employed in the post office, and occupied his leisure in writing for the newspapers. In 1731 was first published the Magazine, and it has continued to this day, more than a century, amid the crowd of magazines which have perished around it; and is one of the most successful and lucrative periodicals that history has upon record.
1756. Francois, marquis de Beauharnois, died at Paris. He was a member of the national assembly, and took part in the king's favor; subsequently joined the army under Conde; and was banished by Napoleon in 1807. The heroic wife of Lavalette was his daughter.
1757. The British under Admiral Watson took by assault, Houghley, situated about thirty miles above Calcutta.
1761. Edward Boscawen, the English admiral, died. He was born 1711, and entered the navy at an early age. He acquired honorable distinction under Vernon, and afterwards signalized himself in many important contests with the French, in which he had the singular fortune to take the French commander, M. Hoquait, a prisoner three times, viz. in 1744, 1747 and 1755. On his return to England in 1759, after destroying the Toulon fleet in the Mediterranean, he was rewarded with a pension of £3000 a year.
1763. Casper Abel, a voluminous German historian and antiquary, died.
1765. Stamp Act passed the British Parliament. How little did that body anticipate the consequences that were to follow their decision on that subject.
1776. The New Hampshire convention dissolved itself and assumed legislative powers, chose twelve counselors as an executive branch, and delegates to Congress, which were recognized.
1782. George Costard died. A classical, mathematical and oriental scholar, whose reputation as an author is chiefly derived from a History of Astronomy, highly appreciated in Europe.
1791. Vermont, the last of the thirteen original states which composed the Union, adopted the constitution and took her place in the confederacy.
1795. The French frigate Iphigenie, 32 guns, captured by the Spanish fleet off Catalonia.
1797.